Fire Sprinkler Week 2014 was launched at the House of Commons this week . The campaign is designed to raise awareness of sprinkler systems and convey a simple message: controlling a fire as it starts is better than repairing the damage after it has spread.
West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service is supporting this, the first National Sprinkler Week, and is encouraging landlords and housing associations to consider retro-fitting sprinklers in properties where people are most at risk of fire.
Mark Hayter, Protection Manager for West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service, said:
“We fully support National Sprinkler Week. The fact is that nobody has lost their life in the UK due to a fire in homes fitted with domestic sprinkler systems. Sprinklers are like the equivalent to having a firefighter ready and waiting in every room of your home. “
“There are a lot of misconceptions out there regarding how sprinklers work, but the reality is that they only activate when the temperature reaches over 68 degrees centigrade and even then only activate in affected rooms.There are a number of estates and blocks of flats across the country that have had sprinklers fitted and the residents in those areas have reported feeling much safer in their homes.”
For comprehensive fire safety advice visit www.westsussex.gov.uk/fire
Sprinkler Stats .
- Sprinklers operate once the temperature hits approximately 68 degrees centigrade .
- The likelihood of a sprinkler operating accidentally is estimated at 16 million to one – you’ve more chance of winning the lottery! .
- In domestic houses fires firefighters often use 10 times more water from hoses to do the same job as a sprinkler. This increases considerably with larger buildings or commercial premises .
- Statistics show that widespread use of sprinklers could save up to 96% of the 5.6 billion litres of water used annually in the UK to fight large fires .
- Losses from fires in buildings protected with sprinklers are estimated to be only one tenth of those in unprotected buildings .
- More than 40 million sprinklers are fitted worldwide each year